Mayfield interviews Haley in academic setting (lengthy)

[lauraliz]

I just loved this interview. It didn't seem lengthy to me because it was so interesting. It offered some great insights into how Haley is navigating her way through her career and how she's thinking it out and so on. It's such a tough business. She's doing a remarkable job.

It was very revealing about the challenges of social media--the good and bad of the whole thing. I would probably never even touch social media if I were famous these days. Way too much scrutiny. So, I totally get why Haley is a little apprehensive about it. The whole thing has so many weird aspects to it.

IA--I'm so happy she is interested in the whole album than just putting out the singles. Haley is an old soul.

I loved her honesty about life in the idol bubble and how "the team" treats you. She gained a lot of learning experience from it--and it has made her stronger and more educated about the business.

IM did the interview very similar to the Actors Studio show with James Lipton. If you have never seen it--the show was on Bravo prior to the channel turning into the "Housewives of crap" network. Toward the end-- when he did the Bernard Pivot questions--I was hoping Haley would say "F-ck" to the fave curse word. haha. But, I don't think Haley has ever seen the show. Turns out--the women interviewed always gave the more profane curse words as t heir answers. Many of the men would shy away and the women were F this F that--hilarious.

BTW, I love Haley a lot.

[Babbs234]

XAtlantic and lauraliz, I totally agree with you on your comments. This was a wonderful interview.
Haley come off as one smart cookie, who is trying to control her own destiny, and ensure that she is doing things right for her career. Since the interview is 50 minutes, she has really has time to answer Irvin's questions in detail. I loved it.

[Haleylvr4evr]

I finally had time to watch the whole video and it was so great! I love her honesty and detailed answers and I learned alot about what she is going through.

But I have to say.......If that was my class she came to talk to I would be a complete wreck....shaking uncontrollably and not being able to speak at all during the Q&A part.

[john]

Haley mentioned that in her first tryout for Idol they did a big story on her whole family. Filmed them singing together, and took shots around Chicago. I assume the producers wouldn't spend that kind of time and resources on a big back story unless that thought there was a good chance she would make it beyond those initial auditions. Seems they didn't do much the second year when she actually made it.

[Miguel]

Seems they didn't do much the second year when she actually made it.

I had that same thought. Odd contrast.

I think their having raised her hopes the year before only to have the judges crush them at the audition-level resulted in her approaching S10 with a jaded eye.

This was reflected from the start in her interactions with Randy.

Without that baggage from S9, she might have fared better in the voting. While I liked her attitude, a guy I work with says he remembers liking her performances but that she "is a diva."

[Himm2]

At least for the S10 audition they did show Haley flaunting the golden ticket outside in front of the art museum and her family catapulting her with cheers inside the tent. That's a bit more than some of the other top 40's got.
So if there were 4 judges for her S9 audition I wonder how the voting went. Rest assured that Simon & Randy rejected her but what about Kara & Shania Twain? I'm sure at least one of them must have said "yes" or I doubt if the producers would have requested that she try again. They must have decided they wanted a "folksy" contestant from the Chicago auditions a.k.a. Lee DeWyze & Crystal Bowersox and Haley didn't fit that description.

[mercfan3]

It's really sad when Diva is synonymous with young confident woman who sticks up for herself when being essentially bullied.

Anyone in Haley's situation would have either broken down or responded the way she did. In fact, American Idol is filled with young women who have done one or the other.

[rmd1064]

I watched the interview too, and I also thought the same thing about Season 9. Why go to all the trouble of filming all that back story etc on her, and then she does not make it. I wonder where all that footage of her S9 audition, back story, etc is now…?

I knew someone that went to an Idol “cattle call” as Haley called it in one of the audition cities, and she was right on point. You wait for hours, then sing in groups in front of producers through several rounds, usually given about 30 seconds to sing each time, before ever getting to the real judges. Maybe in S10, she was able to skip all that given how far she got in S9? But who knows? I also wonder if the Idol contestants have to sign contractual language that they will not tell the “real” story behind the Idol machine. Has an Idol contestant ever written a book about that?

Regarding the interview, my only issue was that Irvin seemed to focus too much on the American Idol experience and not on Haley’s recent work and future plans. I would have loved to hear her discuss the experience of making “Show Me Your Moves” with a small team using crowd funding—and the mixed reaction it got. It was interesting to hear her say that Idol contestants (non winners) although given many advantages to start out also face resistance from the music industry as they try to break out on their own—were they just lucky contestants or are they truly talented people?

I am glad to hear that Haley is learning the ropes of the music industry, but sincerely hope she gets some help via a manager or Ole. She should be focused on her music and her career, and hopefully someone else can worry about accounting, social media, sponsors, etc etc. Although—as she noted, she needs to understand it all so she can make good decisions.

Finally, as always, I am so impressed with Haley as a person. She is so sweet, pleasant, humble and always thanks her parents for their support and guidance. How proud they must be of her--- what an amazing and talented woman….

[mercfan3]

I actually think one of the most interesting things she said was that Cowell didn't want a good season on Season 9.

I know people were always suspicious of it. And the guy pushed Lee as a winner. But Haley said it in a way that suggested she pretty much knew that was the reason (like, someone told that to her) not that she was just guessing.

Personally, when it comes to Idol..I always thought the producers/judges/jimmy were all pretty split on her. You could tell she was the favorite of some (Jimmy, Steven) and not so much with others (Nigel, Randy). And yet, despite not being Nigel's favorite, there were clearly SOME producers that liked her.

[Tusk]

I actually think one of the most interesting things she said was that Cowell didn't want a good season on Season 9.

Reading between the lines, it was clear to me Haley was saying this was a reason they ended up not using her footage.... Until the Lazaro season (or Candice's?) Hasn't Season 9, and Lee Dewyze, been considered generally one of the worst if not THE worst of AI's seasons?